Mr. President – Chapter 2

Chapter 2

THE HEAVY BLACK Chevrolet Suburban pulled up as close to the yellow crime scene tape as possible. The whole place, with the flashing emergency and police lights, was a scene straight out of a television police crime drama.

There were dozens of police cars from the two nearby police departments – U.S. Park District 1 and the U.S. Park District Headquarters – parked near the river bank. Even the Metropolitan Police Department on the other side of the Potomac was represented. There were well over two dozen cops milling about and canvassing the area for evidence. And given the circumstances, the FBI, CIA, and NSA were all present, too. There’d be no way, given the amount of people on the scene, of keeping this under wraps until the White House had its act together and was ready to deal with the media onslaught to come.

Malcolm Mavis, President Stone’s Chief of Staff and main political strategist, unbuckled his seat belt and placed the dossier he’d been reading – on the man found floating face down in the Potomac – onto the plush black leather seats, and stepped out of the SUV onto Boundary Chanel Road across from the Pentagon’s north parking lot.

Quickly summing up the situation – which was his strong suit – he strode casually, trying not to draw attention to himself, over to the one person he knew would have the answers he needed; Marlene Loudoun, Director of the FBI.

“As far as we can tell. But we’ll need the Coroner’s report to be one hundred percent sure.”

“How long will that take?”

“I’ve already put a rush on it. So about two hours.”

“I’m assuming, given the location, that he drowned.”

“Hmph! Never assume,” the Director stated. “He was dead before he hit the water.”

“How do you know that,” Mavis asked, turning to look at the Director for the first time since he’d walked up. Her heart shaped face was as beautiful as ever.

“Because he was shot in the back of the head. Execution style.”

“She shot the poor bastard?”

“We don’t know if she shot him. But someone did. Looks like a Sig Sauer 226.”

Marlene Loudoun, who’d questioned Colonel Madison after all the fuss was over, side-eyed the President’s Chief of Staff wondering just how much he knew. Obviously, he hadn’t been fully veted on Operation Red November. Otherwise, he would have known that the Sig had been taken from Colonel Madison, upon his capture, and given to the victim by the Russians. Forensics were still out. But she figured he’d been shot with his own gun.

“Was her body recovered along with his?” Mavis asked.

“No. Just his.”

“Where are you sending the body?”

“To E Street. The FBI’s medical examiner along with the Metro DC Police coroner will meet the body there.”

“Call me when the autopsy is finished,” Mavis ordered, turning to leave.

“I will,” replied the Director.

Marlene Loudoun thought should she or shouldn’t she. But the situation, with the White House, she felt was getting out of hand.

“Malcolm! Wait,” she called, after the President’s Chief of Staff and the man responsible for putting Stone in the Oval Office.

Walking up to him, she kept her voice to a whisper. “Malcolm, you know I like you. And I think you’re an alright guy. But, Malcolm, you need to get your guy under control. It was one thing when he was a candidate for the office. But he can’t continue doing the same shit now that he’s The President. My office can’t keep looking the other way.”

Mavis snarled something resembling an answer before yanking the door to his SUV open and piling in.